


be my lover, i'll cover you

by littleblacksubmarines



Series: Firefighter 'verse [4]
Category: Blink-182
Genre: Alternate Universe - Firefighters, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, awkward conversations with your ex, mentions of Mark Hoppus/Tom DeLonge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 10:43:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8202565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleblacksubmarines/pseuds/littleblacksubmarines
Summary: Based off of the picture where the Kansas City FD is rescuing the Kansas City PD from an elevator.Except Mark realizes his ex is in the elevator.





	

**Author's Note:**

> If you got here by googling yourself or your family member, I would highly suggest just closing the tab and never coming back.
> 
> While the people are real, the events I've laid out are either fictitious or based off of my real life. I don't own anyone mentioned in these stories unless stated otherwise.
> 
> If you haven't seen the picture, you should, because it's the cutest thing in the world.  
> Title to RENT. Thank you to iamthetigeriamtheflower on tumblr for helping me come up with it!  
> Thank you to intothefields/hoppusfucker42069 for beta'ing and listening to me ramble endlessly. You deserve an award, my friend.  
> Thanks for looking!

“Engine 9, Engine 912, Rescue 9. Service call,” the robotic voice crackled through the speakers of Station 9. 

“Engine 9, Engine 912, Rescue 9. Service call to LA County Courthouse, elevator stuck in between floors, occupants in elevator. Alert time 1452,” and the voice faded out, causing the four men to jump up from the table and run to the pole, sliding down to the garage and to their respective trucks.

“Be careful,” Mark and Matt said at the same time, grinning and sharing a quick peck before Mark climbed into Engine 9 and Matt jumped into the rescue.

The convoy of fire engines expertly navigated the streets of Los Angeles until they reached the courthouse, all four walking up the steps to the door at the same time. 

“Please help! It’s an elevator full of police officers!” A frantic bystander in the lobby called. 

Jeremy and Mark went to get all the rope off of the apparatus while Matt and Travis made their way up the staircase to the floor the elevator was closest to. Once Jeremy and Mark returned, the men set up a makeshift pulley system, with the four of them pulling, they could pull the elevator up enough to help the officers inside climb out.  
With Matt in the front, they began pulling, much like a tug-of-war game. Once the elevator was a reasonable distance up, Matt, Mark, and Jeremy busied themselves with hoisting the trapped men and women out of the car. Travis went to check on the repair status, hoping that the repairmen had discovered the problem.

“Mark? Oh my god, is that really you?!” Matt heard a guy call out, whipping his head to look and see, which was no easy task, considering he was on his stomach on the floor, pulling the last few police officers out of the elevator car.

Matt watched all the color drain from Mark’s face, watched how rigid he went when this guy walked towards him. Matt _had_ to do something. Unfortunately for him, and from the looks of it, Mark, there was nothing Matt could do at the moment except keep an eye out.

“Oh my god, Mark, you look great!” Tom exclaimed, sidling up to Mark.

“Uh…yeah, thanks Tom. You look…healthy, and happy,” Mark supplied, wishing the floor would give in or a comet would crash into him or maybe even wishing one of them would spontaneously combust.

“So are you still at the same place? Man, we had some good times there, didn’t we?” Tom asked, raising his eyebrows and elbowing Mark in the side.

“No, I live by the ocean now,” Mark started before Tom cut him off.

“The ocean! Man, that’s awesome. I’d love to come check out the new digs sometime,” Tom said, lowering his voice and reaching out for Mark’s arm.

Mark quickly side stepped, “Uh, Tom, I don’t know—“ He said, looking around the room.

Once Matt lifted the last officer, a petite girl named Kelly who was at his wedding, out of the elevator and accepting Jeremy’s hand to help him up, he brushed off his shirt and sauntered over to the tall police officer talking to Mark.

“Hi, I’m Matt, nice to meet you,” Matt offered, linking his pinky finger with Mark’s and extending his hand to the stranger to shake.

“Oh, hi Matt! Tom DeLonge,” the guy replied, “I used to date Mark about ten years ago.”

“Oh yeah?” Matt replied casually, “I’ve been married to Mark for five years. Aren’t our rings lovely?” Matt asked, flashing the titanium band on his finger.

Tom blanched, obviously taken aback. 

“Uh…yeah…that’s great,” Tom offered lamely, shooting daggers at both Mark and Matt before hurrying away.

Matt turned to Mark, a quizzical expression on his face, and Mark just shook his head furiously.

“I’m going to the truck,” Mark said curtly, turning and taking the steps two at a time.

*   
Matt knocked softly at the bunk room door, waiting to hear Mark sniffle a reply before opening it and closing it with a soft ‘click’ behind him. Matt walked to Mark’s bed, toeing off his boots before sitting down on the blanket and pulling his husband into his arms, feeling Mark soften at the touch.

“Baby,” Matt soothed, running a hand through Mark’s hair and down his back, “Please talk to me.”

Mark shuddered, saying nothing.

“If you don’t want to talk here, that’s fine. But tomorrow, we’re going to talk, please,” Matt said gently, pulling back to look Mark in the eyes, “I’ll go sleep on the couch if you’d rather be alone tonight.”

Mark shook his head furiously, tightening his grip on Matt. “Please stay,” he whispered softly.

So Matt stayed, sitting with his back on the wall and Mark on his lap, running his hands gently over Mark’s body. If Mark wanted to talk, he would let him approach it on his own terms. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Mark finally sat up and looked into Matt’s eyes. If Matt was nervous, Mark couldn’t tell. His husband just radiated a calm zen, Mark figures it was from years of meditation.

“Well, I know I’ve mentioned my relationship with Tom to you before,” Mark started out, toying with the edge of his fuzzy blanket that Matt had got him the first Christmas that he had known him.

Matt nodded, taking Mark’s hands in his and squeezing them gently.

“So, yes, we were together ten years ago,” Mark said, eyes casting downward, “And we were together for about two years, two and a half, something like that. And we got pretty serious, you know? But then Tom just got super distant and stopped talking to me. He never wanted to touch me or come over, and he never let me go to his place. I tried talking to him about it, begged him to make it work. But he drug my heart through the California dirt. He just ghosted on me. Came over one night and got the last of his stuff, didn’t even talk to me. Just…left.”

Mark’s voice broke and cracked, but if he let any tears escape, he hid it from Matt. Matt ran his thumbs over Mark’s cheeks, pulling him in to kiss his forehead and release him. He had known that Mark had abandonment issues, had some bad relationships, but he never knew the extent of it all. Mark had kept it under lock and key, which Matt was upset about. They’d been friends for 20 years, he didn't see a reason to keep secrets.

“So, I’m sorry that you had to find out like this. I’m sorry that he made me such a fucked up person that has panic attacks when I wake up and you’re not in bed with me. I’m sorry I’m damaged goods,” Mark spat the last part out, rubbing his hands over his eyes.

“Baby, no,” Matt crooned, pulling his husband to his chest, “Stop. You’re none of that, and you know it. Tom is fucked up, he’s damaged goods. He’s the one that let the best thing of his life go,” Matt treaded carefully. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing to Mark, upset him further. 

Neither man said anything, Mark continued to be held by Matt, who was rubbing his back in soothing circles.

“Matt,” Mark mumbled, pulling back and grabbing his husband’s face, “I want you to understand something—“ Mark was cut off by a soft knock on the door and Jeremy poking his head in.

“Uh, hey guys. Um, I don’t want to interrupt, but it’s 1 am. Travis is snoring on the couch. And I really want to go to bed,” Jermey said, concern written all over his face.

“Yeah, Jer, that’s fine, but we’re still going to talk,” Mark said, turning and giving Jeremy a soft smile, one that said _we’ll be alright_. 

Jeremy smiled back and went to his bed, kicking off his boots and crawling in, pointedly facing away to give Mark and Matt their privacy.

“Anyway,” Mark whispered to Matt, grabbing his face again and pressing a soft kiss to his lips, “Matthew Thomas Skiba, I need you to understand. You are absolutely, positively the best thing that has ever happened to me. Yes, we’ve been friends for 20 years. And I still remember the day I met you like it was just last week. You lit a spark in me, Matt, on that day. You crashed into me like Dave Matthews Band circa 1996, you’re the king of the castle and I’m the dirty rascal, crash into me, crash into me. I’m not going to get into detail because I think you know,” Mark said, biting his lip and willing the blush he could feel spreading on his cheeks to go away.

Matt just grinned ear to ear, pulling Mark in for a crushing kiss.

“Baby, you have no idea what you mean to me,” Matt said against Mark’s lips, “I understand you’re hurt because of him, and that’s normal. But I’m here, I’ll keep you safe, and I’ll never hurt you. I have walked and will always walk in harm’s way for you. I’ll love you until the day I die, Mark. You’ve changed my life completely since I met you. We’ll get through this like everything else: together,” Matt finished, kissing Mark’s knuckles.

Mark pulled Matt in for a hug, wrapping his arms tight around Matt’s shoulders and burying his head in the junction of Matt’s neck. He’d never get over how good his husband always smelled, like fire, something spicy, and coffee.

“Oh my god, that was seriously the sweetest thing, you fuckers could write for Hallmark,” Jeremy grinned from his bunk, earning some good natured middle fingers and pillows flung at him.

Mark laid down in his bed, asking Matt with his eyes to please stay with him. Matt wanted nothing more, however, they tried to keep things professional at work, and it’s very hard to fit two six foot-plus men into a twin sized bed. So Matt tucked the blanket around Mark, kissing him before sliding into his bed, right next to Mark’s. 

Matt watched Mark fall asleep, listening to Jeremy snore softly. Matt set an alarm on his phone and pulled his blanket up. His last thought before falling asleep was, _if I ever see DeLonge off duty, I’m breaking his fucking nose._


End file.
